GCC ministerial council meeting held in Riyadh, strategic talks on agenda

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries convened in Riyadh on Monday for the 161st Ministerial council meeting during which separate ministerial meetings with Russia, Brazil and India have taken place.

In attendance was Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who headed the GCC-Russia Joint Ministerial Meeting of Strategic Dialogue.

Monday’s seventh ministerial meeting follows talks between the GCC and Russia held in Moscow last year.

Opening statements underscored the importance of the historic relationship between both sides, the need to maintain the means of the strategic cooperation and to coordinate positions regarding various matters.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was also at the focus of the talks.

“Despite the ongoing efforts of Qatar and its partners, they didn’t lead to the desired outcomes. We count on our regional and international partners to practice all forms of pressure to reach a ceasefire and to immediately embark on a political [approach] that leads to a sustainable political solution [to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict],” Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who chaired the session, said.

He said that ending the Gaza war was the first step in calming the situation in the region.

Russia’s Lavrov said that the GCC will play an increased role particularly in light of the turbulent times that the regions is passing through.

From the Gaza war to the Houthi attacks on the Red Sea shipping lanes and the Israel-Iran tension, the Russian official said that it was a duty to work to calm the situation.

Prior to joining the ministerial session, Lavrov held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

Prince Faisal also welcomed India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.